Descriptions

Over the past few decades, the ratio of women to men in many traditionally maledominated
fields has become much more equal. However, in science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM) fields the ratio has not improved at the same rate. In
computer science the ratio is still very uneven. Today women earn only 20% of the
computer science degrees. Many recruitment programs try to attract more women to CS,
but these efforts would be more successful if we had a better understanding of why many
women are uninterested in CS. Our study uses a survey for high school students to reveal
what females look for in a major and how they perceive computer science. Our results
suggest that women are more influenced by the negative stereotypes of CS students and
jobs as being lonely and boring, having a parent in a tech or engineering field increases
interest in CS for women, and men are more influenced by a desire for financial security
than women are.